Orlando City
2023 Orlando City Season in Review: Luca Petrasso
Let’s take a look back at the Canadian’s first year in purple.
Orlando City signed Luca Petrasso back in November of last year, sending $300,000 of General Allocation Money (GAM) to Toronto FC in exchange for the Homegrown fullback, with the potential for another $50,000 in GAM in both 2024 and 2025 depending on performance incentives. He was the first player that OCSC picked up last off-season, as the Lions moved quickly to fill a potential gap with rumors circulating about Joao Moutinho moving to Europe.
Let’s review his first season in an Orlando shirt.
Statistical Breakdown
Petrasso made 12 appearances in the league, with four of them being starts, and totaled 430 minutes on the field. The left back did not score a goal or assist on one in his first season with the Lions. Defensively he recorded eight tackles, three interceptions, six clearances, and one block, while four committing four fouls and winning three aerial duels. Offensively, he took two shots, both of which were off target, completed one dribble, made four key passes, hit four long balls and completed one cross, while passing with 79.5% accuracy and drawing one foul. He was not booked.
He also started both of the Lions’ games against Tigres in the Concacaf Champions League, and spent 149 minutes on the field without a goal contribution. Defensively, he recorded two interceptions and committed one foul. On offense he drew five fouls, and passed with 85% accuracy while completing one cross, two long balls, and two key passes.
He did not play in Orlando City’s playoff games, U.S. Open Cup match, or in any of the team’s Leagues Cup outings, but he did make an appearance with OCB in MLS NEXT Pro. Petrasso started for the Young Lions on June 11 in a 4-0 home win over FC Cincinnati 2. Petrasso played 59 minutes in the match, earning an assist on Shak Mohammed’s goal in the 37th minute that made it 3-0 at the time.
The Canadian chipped in three key passes on the night while passing at an 88.5% rate.
Best Game
For my money, Petrasso’s best game came in his final appearance of the season, during Orlando’s 2-0 win over Toronto FC on Decision Day. He got his first start since April with the Lions having already locked up second place in the East, and he played 70 minutes as OCSC got the victory. Luca had two tackles, one interception, and one block on defense, and he passed with 74% accuracy and missed on his one cross at the other end of the field. He was given a rating of 5.5 out of 10 by Sean Rollins in our Player Grades piece.
2023 Final Grade
The Mane Land staff awarded Petrasso a composite grade of 5.5 out of 10 for his debut season as a Lion. While he began the season as the starter and had some solid performances, an injury opened the door for Rafael Santos to step in, and the Brazilian never relinquished his hold on the job. We saw some glimpses of his crossing ability and what he can provide going forward, but his limited time on the field meant that we weren’t able to get a truly good sense of what he can bring to the table and he wasn’t able to establish some rhythm and chemistry in match conditions with his new team.
2024 Outlook
We know from the club’s end-of-season roster update that OCSC has elected to exercise the option year on Petrasso’s contract, so he will be with the team in 2024 barring some sort of trade. He’s still relatively young at 23, and carries Homegrown status, which is never a bad combination of traits to have in an MLS player. He’ll spend preseason duking it out with Santos for the starting left back position after Santos had the spot in a stranglehold for much of 2023. His salary isn’t costing the club a ton of money, and he’s shown that he can step in and provide reliable cover as a substitute, as well as make starts when needed. Hopefully, we can see a bit more of what he can do next year.